It began Wednesday morning, when I found myself totally obsessed with the Free State Project. This is the proposal to move a large number of right-thinking people to one state, and influence the politics of an entire state. Sure, I had heard about it before, but it lead to me spending most of the day trying to figure out why my mind had made such a mental shift and focus so suddenly. Then it dawned on me: Haitian Refugees.

Let me explain.

Before this comes back at me for some reason, I'd better first state that I do not speak for the Free State Project, I am giving my own opinion of the matter - and this whole mess. You'll see why I said that as you read this.

Back to the Boat People.

Last time I checked, we were at war. Part of that war means protection of our borders, among the most glaring issues this political season that few, if any, politicians on either side want to touch. For a review: People cross the border as if this nation doesn't really have one. Among them were a few Jihad freaks, they take a few flying lessons, steal a few planes, and conduct what historians may call one of the most successful military strikes in world history. Hence, on Sept. 12, 2001, issues such as immigration and border security became important, nonpartisan (priority) issues. Pretty good reason to rally around the ol' flag, huh?

Then I remembered Florida - from hanging chads to a paramilitary siege of Miami for one poor kid whose mother died just to get him away from Cuba. One would assume that while one man is working to protect the nation's borders, his brother would follow his lead, or at least remind him over dinner, "hey, we gotta lot of border to protect here, too". And no, I'm not picking on the Bush family.

And so, with all things these days being part of the "new normal" I, the common schlep, would assume 220 folks would not be able to simply dock their boat right off Hwy. 1 on Hobie Beach, then storm said beach asking for a ride to - who knows - the voter registration office?

The images are still vivid in my mind. 220 ILLEGAL TRESPASSERS (not 'migrants', not 'immigrants') jumping out of a stuffed boat, swimming to shore, and STOPPING traffic on a major artery in Southern Florida. If this alone doesn't bother you, imagine these 220 folks having AK-47's shooting on their way in. The way our wonderful new attitude toward 'homeland security' is down there, we could safely assume they'd have taken Ft. Lauderdale by now.

But here's what's worse: I decided to check to see if anyone just might be a little outraged about what happened. And yes, they were:

About 200 protesters, most of them Haitian Americans, gathered outside the Liberty City Learning Center where Jeb Bush had a previously scheduled campaign appearance on Wednesday. The group, divided into partisan camps, clashed over what should be done with the new refugees (read: illegal trespassers).

U.S. Rep Carrie Meek, D-Miami, called on the governor (Jeb) to lobby his brother (W) to issue an executive order to allow the new Haitians, as well as other migrants (read: illegal trespassers) who have been held at Krome for many months, to be released.

On the other side:

Bush partisans among the protesters blamed Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and the island's political and economic turmoil for driving more than 200 Haitians to take an 8-day voyage aboard a rickety boat.

Meanwhile, a Haitian government official blamed an aid freeze by foreign donor countries (read: U.S. welfare payments) for causing the poverty in his country that led more than 200 migrants to travel in an overcrowded freighter to the United States.

Miami Herald - 10.30.02

Okay, call me crazy, but the last time I checked, we had troops in Haiti to deal with whatever the problem is there, including installing our own little 'puppet' (Aristide) to run this place. Here's a few more recent ILLEGAL ENCROACHMENTS:

. In May 1998, about 150 Haitians hidden aboard a wooden freighter jumped ship at a Miami River pier in broad daylight, diving into the water, hopping into waiting cars or taking off on foot. About 75 Haitians, including women and children, were detained.

. On New Year's Day 2000, a wooden boat treacherously overloaded with 406 Haitian, Dominican and Chinese trespassers were intercepted about eight miles off Key Biscayne.

. On Dec. 3, 2001, in a rare move, the U.S. Coast Guard brought to shore 185 Haitian trespassers, including 14 children. They were found just south of Elliott Key in a dangerously overcrowded 31-foot sailboat that also was in danger of capsizing.

Lovely.

But of course, this is our fault that these folks are coming here, right?

Answer: Correct - it is our fault, and here's why:

(Just my humble opinion) When a county KNOWS people meaning to do harm are attempting to cross a sovereign border illegally, the correct approach to take is:

1. Have the Coast Guard notify the captain of the boat that they are approaching sovereign waters, and they must halt to beboarded or turn their vessel around immediately - outside the boundary (in this case - 12 miles from the coastline)

2. If the vessel continues to approach, have one missile (fired by either ship or air) detonate about 50 yards in front of said vesselwith the words "last warning" to follow.

3. If vessel persists, aim for the midsection of said vessel with similar missile, document results.

4. Send copies of documented results to local media and shipping docks in country where vessel is registered.

Sound harsh? Illegal attempts to dock on U.S. soil would stop in short order. But alas, none of this happened - for a nation at war.

So I woke up Wednesday morning, expecting to see the President announcing which Coast Guard officials were FIRED for allowing a boat to dock that close to a major metropolitan area. But no, let's hold them, feed them, protest about them, then interview them to see if they're being politically persecuted (in a country that we run), to see if they are worthy of staying - and maybe get flying lessons (after all, this is Florida) - or maybe just vanishing...

Stupid Question: If they ARE subject to political persecution in a country that we run, would it not be safe to assume that they just 'may' be upset with US?

Let me get to the point. We don't HAVE any homeland security, and our national security as a whole - sucks. While every other country seeks to protect their history, we seemed to be hell bent on forgetting who we are. We refuse to deal with a clear and present danger in favor of racially profiling white people when looking for a jihad sniper. We willfully send our manufacturing overseas, while doing everything in our power to kill our natural resource industry. We send federal agents into libraries to interrogate librarians about certain books - and the people who read them. We are losing the support and cooperation of more friendly nations each day, and, while those from every third world country try to encroach upon unprotected borders, good people are doing everything they can just to get away from all this madness.

And frankly, I'd like to join them.

Since a good portion of "we Americans" learned a hard lesson from the attempt to formally leave the union about 137 years ago, the best thing right-minded Americans can hope to do is work to form their own community elsewhere - somewhere. With all the flag waving, too few people see the obvious: This nation is sick, if not dying altogether. And I don't see any amount of patriotism, or voting democrat or republican solving this problem. I wish I could think more positively about it, but I can't. I see the fall of Modern Rome happening faster than the destruction of Social Security - about the only thing politicians seems interested in protecting. This nation - this place - has become a corporation whose only purpose is to keeping the ruling parties in power.

Sorry - just calling it as I see it.

Honestly, it has become increasing difficult to write about anything going on in this country anymore. What sense is there in talking about what's wrong when it will probably only get worse. Just when it seems things couldn't get worse, they devolve to a new epitome in less than a week. Even saying, "To heck with it, I'm leaving", can't stop the Internal Revenue Service from stealing nearly everything, even if you die.

Wonderful.

Maybe I'm just depressed. Maybe I'm tired of the complete futility of holding up this broken down system known as the United States of America. I know this: I want to go far away - check that - I want to go HOME. I want to be free. I want to live each day not having to look over my shoulder, wondering what Washington is going to throw at me next. It would be nice - it would be so nice, to have my personal liberty protected by another entity. Perhaps a state; where medical records remain private, where I can keep what I earn, defend myself against a threat - a STATE where I can live FREE.

Am I asking for too much?

Please do not accuse me of being an America hater, or unpatriotic. There are great things, and great people here. But most of these same great people all know what I know. Watching the media each day is merely more evidence that there we have some screws loose somewhere. And it is beyond time for the Real Americans of this nation to regroup (or in this case - group) ourselves together in a last ditch effort to rebuild a more perfect union.

These people are -- justifiably -- frustrated & angry. There's no harm in people tossing around ideas, either. At the rate things are going I don't doubt it'll be too much longer when even ideas will be outlawed.

Of course, then again maybe there's no need to wait for that to happen. The illegitimacy of, "Hate Thoughts," is already a reality, eh?

I suggested that the Coast Guard (or Navy) fire their 3-inch deck gun or deck mounted .50 cal. machine gun across the bow of the vessel.

I think you'll find that the old 3"-38 and 3-inch 50-caliber deck guns are pretty well out of service in the few hundred US Navy warships remaining, replaced among the current Perry class missile frigates and most of the destroyer and cruiser fleet, with Italian-design Oto-Melara Mark 75, 76mm semiauto cannon. They are also in service on the Coasties Hamilton and Famous class cutters.

As for the *deck mounted .50 caliber* MG, I think you meant rail-mounted, though the old Vietnam-era PBR and Swift boats did indeed use deck-mounted .50s, often on a tandam mount with an 81-mm mortar [a dandy weapon for firing illumination rounds, though such light patrol craft aren't really up to the task described.] And there are a couple of deck-mounts available for the M2 and other small arms; I had a fun job with the Naval Weapons Support Center at Crane in Indiana fitting such mounts on light patrol boats and Boston Whalers for the Salvadorians a few years back.

The initial *pilot program* has to be successful before anything similar could be effectively managed in one of the larger states- Alaska, California and Texas all being mentioned as future possibilities for several reasons, including their seaports, transportation hub infrastructure and international borders [both a curse and potential blessing- make lemonade!]

But any of those larger states would require a LOT more than 20K participants to get the job done; there are California congressional districts and cities where those numbers would scarcely make a dent. Prove that the concept can work first, as with Perot's *Reform* Party [that brought us Clinton's first term] or the successful candidacy of Governor Jesse Ventura in Minnesota, and you'll have the 2x4 with which to get the donkey's attention. And the elephant's.

If the "FSP" worked, it'd be destroyedby the "powers that be" who're for a lack of better description, some absolutely evil,freedom-hating,power-hungry SOBs.

I agree that they'll try, but some creative annoyances and interruptions might distract them sufficiently to get the job done, though the initial FSP presentations of how the process might take place have been simplistic and Pollyannish to date.

But the example has been set by former US congressman Davy Crockett, who left his Tennesse home and farm- where too many of his loved ones were buried- and set off to build a new one in Texas. His parting words as he left Tennessee from the river town of Memphis remain valid for today's FSP porcupiners, as well.

Though I'm following the FSP activities with interest, I don't believe in putting all my eggs in one basket either. And as for the greedy and hateful power-brokers trying to forestall such dreams, I have lost fights before. But not when the other guy's pants were on fire.

See the link in my post #39. Some parameters and desiderata for a likely preferred state have been identified, but nothing's set in concrete at all yet.

Indeed, with about a tenth of the core group now on board, this is an excellent tiime for you to add in your two cents worth on which ones you think are most suitable or downright unworkable. If you're interested, whether to make *the big move* immediately once that big decision is made or not, climb right on the pile and join in.

I'm going to give it some time. I fully intend to fight like hell in my area to implement change. If I see this awful, creeping socialism continue to take root rendering my efforts futile, the FSP is something I fully intend on undertaking. I don't care if it's 5,000 or 5,000,000 people participating.

I refuse to leave this earth without a chance of having my children know freedom. I won't have their lives destroyed by the sickness that's infected our society.

For God's sake, a human being has the right to be left alone, to grow and prosper and live a moral life. It's becoming increasingly clear that this will soon be impossible.

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